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Wizards outlast Raptors in 3OT for fifth win in a row

TORONTO (AP) — Trevor Ariza scored the go-ahead basket on a fast-break layup with 1:20 left in the third overtime and the Washington Wizards outlasted the Toronto Raptors 134-129 on Thursday night. Marcin

TORONTO (AP) — Trevor Ariza put down his plate of chicken long enough for a brief postgame interview, but he wasn't about to stop eating.

Ariza scored the go-ahead basket on a fast-break layup with 1:20 left in the third overtime and the Washington Wizards outlasted Toronto 134-129 on Thursday night to win the longest game by time in Raptors franchise history. At 3:32, the game was 10 minutes longer than the previous Toronto record, a 3:22, triple-OT loss to the Nets in England on March 5, 2011.

"I was ready for this one tonight," Ariza said of his meal, practically a midnight snack. "It was the longest game in the world. You give it all so at the end of the game you're just totally drained."

"Oh, I'm going get some more," Ariza said. "This is not the end of it."

Even watching this one was draining, whether you were in the stands or on the sidelines.

"My feet and back are hurting and I didn't even play," Wizards coach Randy Wittman said.

Marcin Gortat fouled out with a career-best 31 points and 12 rebounds, John Wall also had 31 points, and Ariza fouled out with 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Wizards, who won their fifth straight, snapped a three-game skid against Toronto and improved to 2-0 since losing Nene to a knee injury.

"The feeling is great," Gortat said. "We won the game, we've proven that we can beat this team. We really build the chemistry, we really build the team spirit with this win."

Chris Singleton had 13 points, and Bradley Beal and Andre Miller each had 11 for Washington. The Wizards are unbeaten since a Feb. 18 home loss to Toronto.

"It's a great win for us," Ariza said. "They took us all the way to the wire."

HIGHLIGHTS: Wizards outlast Raptors to extend streak

Nene sprained the MCL in his left knee in Sunday in a win over Cleveland and is expected to miss six weeks.

The Wizards are 60-61 when Nene plays and 10-34 when he doesn't since the oft-injured Brazilian was acquired in a March 2012 trade with Denver. That includes a 3-6 mark in games this season, when Nene also missed time with a sore right Achilles tendon.

"Obviously we're missing Nene," Gortat said. "He was our big spark in the starting lineup, but we've got to play without him for the next few weeks. Each one of us has got to step up."

Tired and sore, Gortat said he didn't plan to step up when the Wizards hold practice on Saturday.

"I'm going to pull my veteran wild card tomorrow, I want a day off," he said. "I just can't go. I played 51 minutes and I'm barely standing right now."

DeMar DeRozan scored 34 points in 58 minutes for Toronto, and Kyle Lowry fouled out with 18 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in 54 minutes as the Raptors lost for only the second time in their past nine home meetings with the Wizards. Toronto suffered its ninth consecutive overtime home defeat.

"We rode (Lowry) and DeMar so hard, but every game is important," Toronto coach Dwane Casey said.

Greivis Vasquez scored a season-high 26 points for Toronto, Amir Johnson fouled out with 16, and Terrence Ross scored 11 points in the first half before leaving with a sprained left ankle.

"Our deck wasn't full and I thought it hurt us," Casey said.

PHOTOS: NBA SHOT OF THE DAY

April 15, 2014: Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, left, grabs a rebound in a 117-1105 win against the Nuggets. The victory keeps their hopes of snatching the West's No. 2 seed from the Thunder alive. (Photo: Richard Mackson, USA TODAY Sports)

April 14, 2014: Minnesota Timberwolves forward Corey Brewer goes crowd surfing in the middle of a game against the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors went on to win a 130-120 shootout, clinching the 6th seed in the playoffs. (Photo: Kelley L Cox, USA TODAY Sports)

April 13, 2014: Paul George and his Indiana Pacers got a much-needed win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, as his squad jousts with the Miami Heat for the top playoff spot in the East. (Photo: Brian Spurlock, USA TODAY Sports)

March 18, 2014: On the day he was introduced as Knicks president, Phil Jackson joins former teammates Walt Frazier and Dick Barnett and Peter DeBusschere, son of Jackson teammate Dave. (Photo: William Perlman, The Star-Ledger, via USA TODAY Sports)

March 3, 2014: The night belonged to LeBron James, who put on a show for the South Beach crowd with a career-high and Heat-record 61 points in a 124-107 win over the Bobcats. (Photo: Robert Mayer, USA TODAY Sports)

March 2, 2014: Joakim Noah (13) sends Raymond Felton's (2) shot back where it came from as the Bulls rolled to a 109-90 win over the Knicks in Chicago. Noah wracked up a triple-double with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 14 assists. (Photo: Mike Dinovo, USA TODAY Sports)

March 1, 2014: The Philadelphia 76ers honored franchise great, Allen Iverson, by retiring his number during halftime of their game against the Washington Wizards. (Photo: Eric Hartline, USA TODAY Sports)

Feb 24, 2014: Everyone knew he would take the shot, but the Knicks still couldn't stop Dirk Nowitzki (41), who hit the game-winning shot here at the buzzer to give the Mavericks a 110-108 win. (Photo: Anthony Gruppuso, USA TODAY Sports)

Feb. 23, 2014: Brooklyn Nets center Jason Collins (46) attempts a shot during the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers. Collins became the first openly gay athlete to play in any of North America's four major professional sports. (Photo: Gary A. Vasquez, USA TODAY Sports)

Feb. 5, 2014: Sacramento center DeMarcus Cousins attempts to save the ball from going out of bounds during the third quarter in the Kings' game against the Toronto Raptors. (Photo: Ed Szczepanski, USA TODAY Sports)

Jan. 26, 2014: It was another emotional night in Boston as Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett returned for the first time since being traded to the Nets in July. Each only scored six points, but Brooklyn came away with a 85-79 win. (Photo: Mark L. Baer, USA TODAY Sports)

Jan. 25, 2014: Thunder star Kevin Durant had his game face on for a 103-91 win over the 76ers, finishing with 32 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists for his second triple-double of the season. Durant also scored 30 or more for the 10th consecutive game. (Photo: Howard Smith, USA TODAY Sports)

Jan. 24, 2014: Carmelo Anthony was all smiles after he delighted the home crowd and lit up Madison Square Garden with a franchise and arena-record 62 points in the Knicks' 125-96 win over the Bobcats. (Photo: Noah K. Murray, USA TODAY Sports)

Jan. 12, 2014: C.J. Miles (0) couldn't get to the bucket here against Jason Thompson (34), just as the Cavaliers had a tough time scoring against the Kings in a 124-80 loss. Sacramento's 44-point blowout was the biggest rout of the NBA season so far. (Photo: Kelley L. Cox, USA TODAY Sports)

Jan. 10, 2014: In an NBA first, the Heat and Nets wore jerseys with nicknames on the back. "The Truth" Paul Pierce (34) and the Nets got the better of "King James" LeBron James and the Heat in a 104-95 double-overtime win. (Photo: Joe Camporeale, USA TODAY Sports)

Jan. 5, 2014: A frustrated Jose Calderon pleads his case with an official during the Mavericks' home loss to the Knicks. New York frustrated Dallas into a season low in points in a 92-80 win. (Photo: Jerome Miron, USA TODAY Sports)

Jan. 4, 2014: Kevin Love, right, got the better of Kevin Durant in this collision of All-Stars, but Durant and the Thunder got the better of Love and the Timberwolves on the scoreboard in Oklahoma City's 115-111 win. (Photo: Jesse Johnson, USA TODAY Sports)

Jan. 1, 2014: Monta Ellis (11) played some tough defense on John Wall (2) here as the Mavericks locked down on the Wizards in the fourth quarter of an 87-78 win in Washington. (Photo: Geoff Burke, USA TODAY Sports)

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Lowry fouled out as Gortat converted a three-point play with 1:45 left in the third overtime. Back-to-back turnovers by Vasquez on Toronto's next two possessions led to consecutive steals for Wall and fast-break baskets for Ariza and Webster, putting Washington up 131-127 with a minute remaining.

"We shut off the water," Webster said. "It was a tight game all the way down to the end and we were able to collect a couple of stops and convert on the offensive end."

DeRozan cut it to two with a pair of free throws, but Wall made a layup and Garrett Temple sealed it with a free throw.

Gortat made two free throws to put Washington up 118-116 with 43 seconds left in the second overtime but DeRozan tied it on a layup with 2.3 seconds left. Beal thought he'd won it at the buzzer, but his shot was waved off. Replay review upheld the call, sending it to a third OT. "Earlier in the season we probably would have dropped our heads when they told us that it didn't count and we have to play again," Ariza said. "Tonight just shows that we're growing and we're getter better."

Lowry, who missed a potential winner at the end of regulation, got the ball again in the final seconds of the first overtime but Webster blocked his driving shot.

Ross rolled his ankle when he stepped on a defender while driving to the basket at 2:15 of the second quarter. He stayed in the game to shoot his free throws, but was replaced just over a minute later and headed to the locker room for treatment. Ross did not return for the second half.

NOTES: The game had 19 ties and 15 lead changes. ... Al Harrington was called for a flagrant foul on Toronto's Tyler Hansbrough in the second quarter. ... Lowry picked up a technical foul for arguing in the final minute of the first half.